Coming Home
by dasyiemae
Summary: The exhausted rewrite of 6.08


Summary: 6.08 my way, because of course we all hated how it actually went. Lit. Nothing else exists to me.

A/N: I KNOW that I have another story that I need to update, and I am relatively working on that. As well as another that I started and cannot figure out how to end yet. But this one came to me after just watching the episode and I had to write it.

Disclaimer: But, of course, I own nothing, because I wouldn't have to write these to make the show better, IMO, if I did. Moving on.

 **Coming Home:**

She could hear the excuses leaving her mouth, but she just couldn't seem to control them. When did she become this girl? It was so typical of Jess to do this. Completely turn her world upside down. Or maybe he was there to turn it right side up again. She knew the excuses she was making for Logan's behavior back at the pub were a stretch. He _was_ a jerk. Not just tonight, it just so happened that it was tonight she opened her eyes to it.

Rory reached out and placed a hand on Jess' arm. "Can you give me five minutes? Maybe ten?"

Jess looked confused, but he nodded. He didn't want to stand out here yelling at Rory to get her life together. But if that is what it took to be around her again, he would stand out here all night if he had to.

Rory disappeared back into the pub. She approached the table Logan was at, noticing that yet another scotch had appeared before him. Why did no one shed light on alcoholism in college students? Rory made a mental note to do a story on this, when she returned to Yale. She had made up her mind, she was going to go back to Yale and to the paper. She was going to get her life back on track. She couldn't do that if she was getting drunk every night. She knew she had to end things with Logan. This, what they had, it was fun, but Rory hadn't felt like herself being with him and she didn't like this person she was becoming.

"Hey Ace, you'll never guess who I heard over the crowd, in the corner with her boyfriend? The folk singer from the other night! I sent them over a round of drinks. Incredible. Where's Kerouac?"

It was as if she had finally opened her eyes. The pretentiousness in his voice made Rory want to scream. They were so cruel to that folk singer!

Rory sighed before starting her hastily prepared speech, "Logan," she started. "What am I doing? This isn't me." She choked back a sob, unable to get out the rest of her speech. She wasn't going to cry in the pub, in front of the folk singer from the other night, and the same people she saw on almost a daily basis.

"Don't do this, Ace. Don't make something out of nothing."

"Logan, can we take this somewhere else?" Rory didn't want to keep watching him down Macallans.

"No, Rory, let's do this right here. This isn't you? What isn't you? Being with me? Going out? Having _fun?_ Young Hemingway is in town for one day and already you've decided this isn't the life for you anymore? Who are you then? What _is_ you, Rory? Tell me." Scotch number 5, down it goes.

" _THIS_!" Rory gestured vaguely with her hands. "This isn't me, Logan! I'm not the party girl. I don't spend every night in a bar! I stay home. I read. I study. I watch 'The Power of Myth' when I go on Spring Break! But _this_ ," again, she gestured around the pub, emphasizing her point, "isn't who Rory Gilmore is. And I am so sorry that I let you think it is who I was. I don't blame you. I had fun! But alcohol poisoning can no longer be my idea of a good time. I miss that girl. I miss Joseph Campbell!" With that she laughed. She wanted him to laugh with her. It wasn't that she hated him. She appreciates the time she spent with him, he is so brilliant, if only he would take advantage of it instead of drinking away his daddy issues. She had those too, but she wasn't the one with scotch number six going down the hatch.

He didn't want to yell at her. Not here. Not ever. He did care for her. Love was a pretty strong word he still wasn't comfortable using, but he could see it. He could love her, probably. He put down his empty glass and looked at her for a minute. He wasn't going to stand here and argue with her. She wanted to go be with _him_ and he wasn't going to stop her. He had never been dumped before, this was new. He could call Colin and Finn and have them there within the hour though, and it would be as if Rory Gilmore had never been in his life. Had never convinced him to be a _boyfriend_. He mechanically motioned to the waitress for another drink. Happily losing count at this point.

"Go." It was barely audible. He wasn't even sure he had said it out loud at first. So, he repeated himself, a little louder this time, to be sure.

"Logan…" She reached out for him, but quickly drew her hand back. She wasn't going to tell him she still wanted to be friends, she was smart enough to know he wasn't that kind of guy. They'd see each other around, maybe. Yale was a big school.

She leaned forward though, kissed his cheek. She really didn't want to end this on bad terms. They both understood where she was coming from, even if it couldn't be fully articulated in a crowded pub, as he downed scotch number, she thinks 8.

"I'll see you?" She pulled away just as quickly as she had leaned in.

"Yeah, Ace, you'll see me."

And with that, she turned to go back outside to the dark-haired boy that was waiting. Hearing a "Colinnnnnn, you'll never guess who is at the pub right now! Grab Finn…" before she made it out the door.

Back outside, she saw Jess leaning against a light post, cigarette gently poised between two fingers.

"So, tell me, what's your decision about smoking that depending on?"

Jess looked up, signature smirk playing on his lips.

"On what's going to happen." He pushed himself off the light post and started moving towards her.

"When?" She moved closed towards him, both of them stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. Jess moving to close the distance between them.

"Now."

He leaned in, stopping almost halfway, making sure this was what she wanted. A small smile creeping into his classic smirk as he remembered this same conversation, many years ago. Rory was the one to close the distance, laughing a little at the memory.

When they pulled apart after a minute, foreheads pressed together, Rory bit her lip, knowing this is where she was meant to be, feeling herself return to normal.

"I'm glad you didn't smoke it."

"Oh, yeah?" He smirked and leaned in for another kiss, happy to finally have her back in his arms. He had finally gotten his life together, it was time he helped her with hers. He was prepared to go back into the elder Gilmore's residence again, if it meant getting Rory back on the right track.

"Let's get you back, Gilmore."

Rory knew what he meant and was happy to oblige. She wasn't going to allow herself to regret the detour she found herself on these last few months. As she got into Jess' car, prepared to move her things out of the Gilmore mansion, she knew there was one last thing she needed to do before things would really feel right.

She looked at Jess behind the wheel, he had grown up so much. She was so proud of him. She wasn't sure how they were going to make this work, with him being in Philly and her in New Haven, but she knew she was ready to try.

"173.7 miles." It was Jess that broke the silence.

"What?" Rory wondered if everything she was thinking was being said out loud.

"That's the distance between Philly and New Haven. 173.7 miles. It can be done, Ror. We can do this. I'm ready for this now. I know I said that before but it's real this time. You can trust me."

Rory put her left hand on his arm and gave it a squeeze, while with her right she started dialing numbers on her cell phone, the person on the other end answered after one ring.

"Mom," Rory couldn't conceal the lump in her throat and let the tears fall, "I'm coming home."


End file.
